


Lover Boys

by TickTock_1895



Category: Original Work
Genre: Angst, Awkward Romance, Cool, Everyone Is Gay, First Kiss, Gay, I will write other stuff, M/M, No Spoilers, Sort Of, Superheroes, Two Chapters, and if this story get's enough praise, but no spoilers, but only that, don't look, i might make some more in the same universe, k bye, no I don't plan on updating, really - Freeform, they were roomates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-13
Updated: 2020-08-13
Packaged: 2021-03-06 00:20:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,587
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25884250
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TickTock_1895/pseuds/TickTock_1895
Summary: Galactic Boy is like, yo, and then his archnemesis comes over to his apartment. They end up low-key flirting with each other.
Kudos: 1





	1. Chapter 1

I was ready to go out the door, suited up in my hero costume, when I saw the glint of a parked car across the street. Where my apartment was, you never saw any decked out cars for miles around. So, I paused, and I quietly peeked through the glass peephole of my front door. On the other side, I saw a somber figure climbing up the stairs, keeping his head down. He wore an old, green jacket, and his hair was black and fair, swept to both sides of his face. His skin was a familiar tan, but to whose skin, I could not tell.

I crouched down so as to hide from view, and I waited patiently for the stranger to pass by. I listened closely, and I could hear their heart beating from outside with my super-hearing. I listened to their footsteps walking quietly against the wooden floor of the raised apartments. There was a knock at the door, and I froze.

The stranger outside my door stood patiently, and their heartbeat began to rise very slow-like. I considered using my x-ray vision to see if they could be armed, but I knew it wouldn’t hurt me even if I was hit. I threw on a coat, ran my fingers through my hair, and peeked out the door with caution.

“Hello?” I looked at the stranger's face, but it was covered by their jacket hood. “I don’t think I know you. If you’re looking for the Kellies, their dow-”

“Hey, Galactic Boy. The real name’s Bruce, right?” The man said with a firm voice and a smile. Looking up, his face gave it away. The man standing in front of me was known as Leo Jiang, a.k.a. The Blood Knight. My archnemesis.

The Blood Knight is the name given to the ruling member for the dynasty of the Blood Moon Killers. For generations now, the Blood Knight spirit lived inside of the dynasties blood, granting its power to the eldest child in a family when he comes of age. Heroes before myself have fought against the Blood Knight for centuries. Not one has been able to stop the family’s carnage. 

Now, for the new generation of heroes and villains, I’ve been the one to fight the newest Blood Knight, Leo Jiang.

But for the longest time, soon after I took the name of Galactic Man, I’ve always had a strange feeling about this Blood Knight. I had a feeling of respect, I suppose. Listening to the tales of hero versus villain, good versus evil, friend versus foe, one would think their battles would be fueled by a feeling of justice. Certainly, fighting against the leader of an organized assassin guild reaches out to that level, but an air of fondness, or respect, has always been there between us, understanding that we aren’t necessarily fighting against each other. Once, he even offered to shake my hand before we fought in fist-to-blade combat.

When we meet face to face, ready to fight, we have never fought too seriously. When we fight, our movements don’t feel like desperate attempts to prove which of us is mightier than the other. It feels more like a ritual that we have built between us, a dance between us in which we move with precision, and practice.

After all that, here stood the Blood Knight, standing at my apartment door, calling me by my first name.

My eyes began to charge up, heat vision at the ready, and I could see the red light reflected in his eyes. He wasn’t equipped in the usual armor of the Blood Killers, and he looked as if he hadn’t shaved in a few days. Still, I kept my laser vision at the ready.

“Why are you here? How did you find me?” I demanded, keeping an air of intimidation about me. He put his hands up in retaliation and spoke. “Relax, Galactic. You know our ‘truce’. I’m alone, and I’m not even carrying a gun! You can check me out!”

I did check him out, and I took a moment to listen for anything nearby, the breathing of a sniper, or the sound of a helicopter. Nothing. He wasn’t even shaky, as he often was when nervous. I cooled off and opened the door a little more. Not as an invitation, but merely for conversation.

“That doesn’t explain anything as to why you’re here. I’ve worked hard to keep my identity a secret, and here you are walking up casually to my door.”

He laughed softly. “I’m surprised you’d think I wouldn’t do a little research on you after we’ve fought once or twice. Weren’t you just about to walk out your door all dressed up? People take notice of that.”

I hadn’t cared before. Most people here were too doped up to notice me on the regular. I cursed myself out on that one. It was one of the do not's in the Superhero’s Guide to Everything, after all.

“Okay, so why are you here?” I asked. “You don’t plan on fighting with your plain fists, do you? Slit my throat with your fingernails?”

“You’re almost right on that last one!” He laughed. Once his laughter receded, he slid his hands into his jacket pockets and looked to his feet slightly before looking up again. “I kinda need a place to sleep tonight. Lots of personal stuff back at home, and I don’t have enough connections to just bunk out at the League of Villains or something.”

I looked down at him, with his cuffed jeans and a casual t-shirt, and soon it was my turn to laugh. I put my hand to my face, cupping my eyes with my palms, and chuckled at the sight of him. “I don’t know if I’m seeing you right-“ I pushed my hair out of my eyes, and set my hands down, “-but you look like a teen pretending to be a teen. And  _ you’re _ wearing a band t-shirt? The guy who had a tie on with his scuba gear a few weeks ago?” I said this while pulling on his jacket a little to look at the incomprehensible logo, and he pushed my hand away.

“Look, I’ve got a lot of expectations to meet for my clients! My dad was the one who set up that suit. It’s got as many flaws as those capes do, as you should know when you  _ grabbed me _ by that very tie!”

“Hey! What’s wrong with the cape?” I say, looking down at my very own white cape, a matching color with my yellow suit.

Leo looked at me, his head cocked slightly and an eyebrow raised. “Other than the fact it looks like you sowed a bedsheet onto your back? I could give you a whole list of exactly how many flaws it’s got! Haven’t you seen  _ The Incredibles _ ?”

“If you’re gonna come here just to diss my outfit, I think I’m gonna have to reconsider letting you stay the night.” With this, I teasingly started to close the door, and Leo jumped out to stop me. “No! Fine! The cape looks very nice! At the very least, it goes well with the suit!”

With that, I held the door open, and let out another laugh. He looked at me with a hesitant smile, and a hopeful lean forward. “So you’re considering letting me stay?”

  
  



	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Soon, they eat pizza. Then, something about a pool. Kiss kiss, mwah.

Changed back into a comfy white tee and some baggy shorts, I stepped back out into the living room to see Leo Jiang sitting comfortably in my living room chair, having left his shoes by the door.

“Gotta say, Galactic, for a space martian, you know how to find a good chair. I can’t even find a chair as good as this for my place.”

I shook my head again. “Clearly, you aren’t any good at shopping. I found that chair at a garage sale, half-off. At the time, I almost thought it was where you found your weird jewelry.”

He put his arms out with a shrug in protest, his legs crossed. “Hey, man! Most of that stuff belongs to my family as heirlooms. And that necklace used to belong to some guy’s dead dad!”

“That you… found at a garage sale?”

“That’s irrelevant. Anyway, I think we’re even with the costumes, so let’s drop the subject.”

I chuckled and began to set up the living room, heading to the closet for supplies. “So, I hope you’re not expecting a five-star hotel room because I don’t even have a guest bedroom. I’ve got a few good sheets I expect to be returned in good condition, and a spare pillow I’m willing to lend you.”

I held the blanket in my hands and pointed it to him to make sure he was listening. He nodded, and I tossed it to him. He bowed sarcastically, thanking me, and he set it out on the couch.

I looked at my wall clock. It was a quarter to seven. At this time in the day, I’d have been out patrolling the bay, watching out for drunken bonfire parties. Leo looked to the clock and yawned. “Any ideas for dinner? I’ll have you know, I’m not that incompetent of a cook for a rich boy, so I can help around the kitchen if you need it.” A pause and his smirk wavered. “You do have the stuff to cook with, right?”

I stood tall and walked over to the kitchen. I knew I didn’t have anything, for I didn’t eat anything but breakfast, and the occasional granola bar, which I had a large bulk box of in the pantry. I fumbled around the fridge before pulling out a frozen pizza, a bag of popcorn, and a couple of beers. I looked at Leo. “How do you feel about… uh… movie night? I’ve got some popcorn to spare?”

And that’s how Leo and I ended up watching _The Incredibles_ on the couch together. We shared a blanket spread across us, and Leo hugged his pillow close as we watched. He was sure to point out the section when the designer talks about capes, as he elbowed me close, moving closer to me on the couch. But I felt tense, feeling weird sitting side-by-side to a murderer while we watched a children’s movie together. I was sitting next to the Blood Knight, of all things! My enemy! In the back of my mind, I kind of wanted to talk about how he felt about all this. The other day, didn’t I take him to the hospital after a reckless punch _I_ threw at him? What does he think about how our entire relationship is built around me stopping him from committing varying degrees of crime around the city? Isn’t he upset about that at all? What would my friends think about all this? How would they react to me sitting comfortably next to an assassin?

I looked over to the Blood Knight, and he looked back at me, his hair a mess, and curly. He sipped on his beer, his second one. “Looks like you’ve got troubled thoughts, Galactica. Would suck if I took advantage-“ as he spoke, he leaned closer towards me-“and tried to stab you right now.”

“We both know you can’t kill me, Blood Knight. You’re not equipped.”

I spoke with a slightly more firm tone than I had wanted. Brushing it off, Leo lay his back across my lap, and I tensed up again. I was able to hear his heartbeat all night long, but now I could feel it against my leg. It was slow beating, and I could tell that he was relaxed.

“Everyone’s got their weakness, Galactic. I don’t need my equipment. Going past that, this is the first time you’ve seemed upset tonight. Change of heart?”

He started to play with my shirt, and I pushed him off of me. I stood up, and… I didn’t know what to do. I took offense by this whole situation, and... I didn’t have a plan. I took the dirty dishes and began to wash them. It didn’t take long to clean the two plates we had, and a bowl of popcorn, so I stood over by the couch, arms crossed. Leo paused the movie. He was posed with his hands on his hips, and he was rested on his side like a muse, posed for an artist. He sat patiently, head tilted, with neither a face of confusion or an air of sarcasm. He was ready to listen, and I found it… inviting.

“Now, I’ve gotta ask some questions. Is that why you came over? To manipulate me? To find your way to ‘control’ me? To find my weakness? You haven’t even told me why you’re here other than for ‘personal reasons’, and now you’re trying to… trying to-“ I swung my hands about, looking for the word. “-you’re trying to seduce me? Is this how low you’ve gotten, Leo?! Really?!” I grabbed to the sides of my head, feeling a wave of anger build up. “What should I have expected from you? A murderer! A criminal! Born and raised to control! I’ll let you know, Leo, you can’t destroy me like that! Because I will not be destroyed like that! I cannot be controlled, and if you wish to play this god-forsaken act of being my friend, or whatever it is you’re trying to do, I hope you know that I am not weak-willed! I am not your plaything, and I will not deal with the devil!

“And why do you refuse to call me by my name?! You have proved that you know it, yet you stick to using my alias! Hearing that name, Galactic, only reminds me that you have only known me as your enemy! That you refuse to settle down for a bit and call me by my name! You keep up this act of villain! You remind me that you have that little bit of control over me, blackmailing me with the knowledge of my personal life! That once you leave, there will be nothing to stop you from telling all your friends at the League of Villains everything you know! Nothing to stop them from telling everyone! Nothing to stop me from coming home one afternoon, just to find my home ablaze, my identity revealed, and a little note saying ‘Better Luck Next Time, Brucie!’ Do you even know what to call me by?! It’s Bruce Fucking Powers! Put that on your poster boards, why don’t you?! Bruce Julian Powers! Can you do that for me, Leo? Mr. Blood Knight Sir?”

I felt my heart beating hard, and I could not form my thoughts anymore. I stood there, fists clenching, but I did not scream. I tried to calm myself down, to listen to my surroundings. I could hear Leo’s heart beating fast as well. I looked at him, and he did not look scared. He sat upright, and he clasped his hands. I listened to his heartbeat slow down as he took a moment to gather himself, and I felt my own heart slow down too. Soon, it seemed as if our heartbeats were aligned, for just a moment. I felt the passion of my anger settle to a simmer, but it did not die down. He looked forward in thought, not looking quite at me. He cleared his throat, and he began to speak.

“I’ll… try to go down the list, I suppose,” Leo said, letting loose a shiver. “What was it you asked me when I was at the door? Why am I here? I didn’t lie about that… That I was here for personal reasons. You know how it all works out, with my family. A long dynasty of killers, and here I am, with the power of the Blood Moon Spirit now in my hands. You’ve seen it! Back at the battle near the Waterdam Bank, when I was trying to take down Mr. Dirkley. We both ended up tearing down that apartment block by accident, and we had to stop just to make sure everyone else was alright. I had to make sure that a large check was written out for the owners with a large apology note. They ended up reopening by the next month. They keep a large poster in the lobby with our faces on it… We’re both banned for life, by the way”

I did remember the apartments... that fight was four months ago. I had it on a calendar. I recalled too, the long-running tradition of the Blood Knight bloodline. They never wanted someone in their little city to suffer, not unless a client had demanded it. With Leo in place, the city had prospered. I sometimes wondered if I was in the right to fighting against the Blood Knights, but those questions never lasted long. Although the Blood Knights were respectable, their members beyond that in the Blood Moon Killer group were nowhere near that good, and most never hesitated to harm and kill whenever they had the chance. The Blood Moon hitmen were fierce and unruled, but they lived under the protection of Blood Knight dynasty tradition, and no one had a say in things anymore. I knew that the only way to stop the Killers was to destroy that structure, and that meant ridding of the Blood Knights who defended their way of living.

As for the Blood Moon Spirit, it was a powerful spell, in which the eldest would obtain the likeness of a beast. A mix between an ox and a boar, its strength was overwhelming. After fighting with the Spirit, I would quite often be put out of business for weeks at a time. I was not invincible but instead built to withstand higher amounts of damage. The only invincible bit of me may have been my own willpower, and even then that was pushed to its limit.

Leo spoke on. “With the Blood Moon Spirit, it’s power becomes synonymous with becoming the man of the house, the owner of the business. When I took over everything, it all felt so… rushed. I did what I could, but it took a lot out of me. I couldn’t keep up with the hundreds of years of tradition. Just so I could live with it all, I decided to try and… change things up a little bit. Not be as merciless, or…” His whole body shook, and I considered grabbing the blanket, wrapping it around him. I was suddenly conscious of my standing and took a second to sit awkwardly next to him.

Leo took a breath and finished with what he was saying. “When I started breaking the rules, breaking the traditions of hundreds of generations, my father was angered. My grandfather was angered. My brother took no pity on me, and then… With everything against me... The Blood Moon Spirit left me. It was upset at me, and I wasn’t surprised. That was the scuba episode. I knew what that meant. I was now an outcast… I had ruined the family reputation.

“When I went home, I could tell where the spirit had gone. My brother was now in control. He stood taller, and he didn’t know why. No one knew what had happened just yet... So I packed my bags, took a car... and I left everything behind. I’ll let you know, you weren’t the first person I went to, and it’s been a few days... but I think… You were the only person I could trust during a time like this. I felt that any bond that we had… it didn’t rely on who I had been before.” Looking at him, you could see he was not fully here. He was looking back to where he had come. But with this, he tilted his head slightly, and he laughed very soft-like. He looked back to me, a grin on his face. “Honestly, I knew I could trust you… but I definitely think I felt rather pitiful showering at the public pools. The water might have gotten to me!”

Sitting next to him on the couch, looking over at him… I didn’t laugh, but I did smile. I felt remorse, for having yelled at him as I had before. For saying those awful things to him. But I could not bring myself to say it all in words. I looked into his eyes, and I felt that I should have reached for his hands. He looked into my eyes, and I could feel that it wasn’t me anymore who would be at his mercy... he would be at mine. I couldn’t push the doubt away from my mind, but at the moment I could hope that we could trust each other. I swirled my cup around, and the dirty brown liquid of beer swirled round too.

He leaned in slightly, and my mind went aflame. I looked at him, and he looked at me. I put my glass down, and I turned my body closer to him. He pushed in for the kiss, and my heart dropped. Soon, his lips lay against mine, and mine against his. We let go, looking to one another, and then we hugged. We didn’t have to say another word for the rest of that night, but that human tenderness was well enough for me. We fell asleep on that couch, and I could smell the pool in his hair.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The end. If you want more, let me know! Honestly, this feels like a good ending for a short story. But what happens with Leo? Will the new Blood Knight be more vicious than the last? And will Leo's Dad approve? Where did Galactic Man even come from? Why did he decide to become a superhero? So many questions! So much more to learn.

**Author's Note:**

> Yeah, Galactic Boy and Blood Knight are super cheesy names. Galactic Boy was intentionally cheesy, but I genuinely had no clue what a good villain name would be. I based that off of the Moon Knight, which explains the Blood Moon Killers.  
> Also, there might be a few inconsistencies with how everything works. I threw together a villain backstory as I made the story, but I did try to fix it all up in post. As for Galactic Boy, he’s basically Superman. He’s not totally invincible, but he can take a beating. Also, no ice breath or kryptonite. He is from space, and I like to imagine he actually did live on Mars at one point. Who knows?  
> Anyway, if you’re reading this, congrats! You made it all the way through a gay superhero story. It was originally titled Super Awkward, but that’s an awful name.


End file.
